Roy leads charge as England show no mercy
IT IS only a week since England lost to Scotland, but already that result feels like a freak from another lifetime.
On the day Australia’s footballers lost to France at the World Cup in Russia, and their rugby players went down at home to Ireland, their cricketers completed an unwanted hat-trick in Wales.
A superb century from Shaun Marsh turned a potential thrashing into something more respectable: Australia’s eventual margin of defeat was 38 runs. But if England win Tuesday’s third one-day international at Trent Bridge, talk will turn to a 5-0 whitewash.
Perhaps the most gratifying aspect was a restorative hundred for Jason Roy. Since making 180 at Sydney in January, he had gone ten one-day innings without reaching 50. Here he made 120 from just 108 balls to underpin England’s 342 for eight, their highest score against Australia.
Jos Buttler is innovative, adaptable and with an eye for entertainment. His unbeaten 91 came from only 70 deliveries.
If Roy and Buttler hogged the limelight, the innings was a team effort.
With Australia at 164 for five in response, a mauling beckoned, but Marsh found a willing ally in Ashton Agar, who once made 98 in an Ashes Test from No 11. Australia set about turning a lost cause into an outside chance. When Agar walked past Rashid’s googly to end a stand of 96, England looked relieved.
Out came captain Tim Paine, minus a tooth after taking a blow in the face while keeping wicket, and with Australia needing 11 an over. But he hooked Plunkett to fine leg, and two balls later Plunkett bowled Marsh for 131 with a clever off-cutter.
That was more or less that. England, though, knew they had been in a fight.